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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · mug · saw · hide · game · band · pitch · net

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. game — wild animals
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mug — a cup
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. band — a ring
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. band — a music group
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mug — to rob
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. mug — a face
  20. saw — the tool
  21. net — in sport
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. game — a match
  24. bark — to shout

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com